Claíomh Solais
by battlemaiden518
Summary: When Merlin learns that Arthur is soon to die, he and Balinor, who is living in Camelot, embark on a perilous journey to save the prince. AU. Set in Season 2. Companion to "My son, Merlin" but can be read separately.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: For those of you who have not read my other fic, **_**My son, Merlin**_**, this is related to that one. You don't have to read it to understand what's going on. Just know that Balinor is living in Camelot under the name Dracagend (dragonlord in Old English) and he's there to be with Merlin. =) If you want, you can read the first three chapters as a sort of prologue to this story. The other chapters are unrelated.**

**This story is set either after 2.09 or 2.10, doesn't really matter which. I did an AU of 2.09 in **_**My son, Merlin**_**, but in this story, the AU didn't happen; Freya's dead.**

**The title, which you're probably wondering about, is Irish. It'll make sense later. xD Just so you know, much of this story is taken from Irish and Scottish mythology.**

**Just a warning- Balinor is not going to be in the first few chapters very much, as those are sort of the introductory ones, but he **_**will **_**be in later chapters, I promise. =)**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: Freylin, possibly some Arwen and Balinor/Hunith. Maybe Mergana.**

**Warnings: Again, not much Balinor in the first chapters, but lots later on. Blood and violence. There may be character death.  
So...enjoy!**

For all his complaining about it, Merlin really did enjoy gathering herbs for Gaius.

He loved the peace and quiet of the woods, and the time he had alone to think in the madness and chaos that was his life.

He should have known that even that haven would be taken from him. Despite all its plans for him, destiny did not seem very fond of him.

It was dusk, and he was heading back towards Camelot, through one of the most deserted areas of the forest, when he heard splashing.

_That's odd_, he thought. _Who would be out here at this time of day?_

He was tempted to find out who it was and what they were doing here, but was hesitant to do so. It was getting late, and Gaius was expecting his herbs, and Arthur his supper. Neither would be pleased if he were late.

Then his magic roiled within him so suddenly and violently that he was possessed with the urge to vomit.

This definitely needed to be investigated.

Merlin set down the basket of herbs quietly and stole towards the splashing. Contrary to Arthur's belief, he could move almost noiselessly if need be.

Soon he emerged from the trees and was standing at the bank of a large stream, and his breath caught in his throat. Directly across from him was a pale, ethereal woman dressed in a simple green dress. A large tooth hung from her mouth, a nostril was missing, and her feet were webbed.

Whatever she was, it was not human.

It was not her unusual features or her ghost-like appearance that had caused Merlin to gasp, however. It was what she was doing.

The creature was washing bloody clothes in the stream. And they were not just anyone's clothes. Merlin had spent enough time scrubbing them to know.

They were Arthur's clothes.

He stood for a moment, debating what to do. Should he call out to her, or wait for her to acknowledge him? Was she a threat?

She looked for a fleeting moment up at him then, and then went back to her washing as if he were invisible.

Her passive glance made up Merlin's mind. "Excuse me," he called politely, unconsciously stepping forward until the toes of his boots just touched the water, "would you please tell me what it is you are doing?" It never hurt to be kind, and if she _was _some sort of dangerous magical creature, the last thing he needed was to anger her.

"You are permitted to ask me three questions, traveller," she replied in a thin, ghostly voice. "But only if you reply to three first."

"Uh, all right," replied Merlin. "You may ask whatever you like."

She looked up at him then, pausing her washing to study his face. After a long moment of silence she said, "Why do you serve the Pendragon prince? And do not presume to lie to me. I will know."

The question took him aback. "I suppose, at first... because the king ordered me to. And... because it was my destiny." He was fairly certain that, if she already knew so much about him, she knew of his identity and magic. "But now, I do it because I believe in him, and because he is my friend."

She did not look up from her washing to ask the next question. "Would you give your life for him?"

"Immediately, and without hesitation," he replied at once. (1)

"I see," she mused. "And if he does not accept you for who you are? Would you still serve him? Die for him?"

"Of course," he whispered, and then louder, "I told him, I'm happy to be his servant until the day I die."

"Very well," she replied. "Ask me three questions, Emrys. Whatever you wish to know."

"Why are you washing Arthur's clothes?"

"It is a symbol, an omen of impending death."

Merlin nearly choked on air. "Arthur's going to die?"

"All men die, Emrys."

"When? How?"

She looked up at him again, eyebrow raised in a way reminiscent of Gaius. "That is two questions. You only have one left. Which do you want to know the answer to?"

Merlin thought for a moment, then said, "How does it happen?"

"He will trespass on the property of the Sidhe," she said quietly, going back to her washing. "The Sidhe do not take such things lightly." She raised her head and looked him the eyes. "Watch over him, Emrys. Or your destiny will be over before it begins."

Merlin swallowed and choked out a, "Thank you."

And then he was running as fast as he could back to Camelot.

-Merlin-

"Is this the creature you saw?"

Merlin looked down at the illustration Gaius was pointing to, squinting in the dim candlelight. "Yes! Yes, that's her."

"She is a bean nighe," said Gaius. "A very rare creature, to be sure. You are lucky to have seen one."

Merlin shook his head. He was not feeling particularly lucky at the moment. "What exactly is she?"

"They are said to be the spirits of women who died in childbirth," replied Gaius thoughtfully. "They predict death. It says here-" His voice faltered and he lowered his eyeglass. "It says their predictions always hold true."

"No!" cried Merlin, slamming his fist into the table. "He _can't _die. Not now. Not after all I've done!"

"Merlin, calm down," said Gaius gently, resting a hand on his ward's shoulder. "Arthur is not yet dead. You know how he dies, and you know it will be soon. This is a gift, not a curse. Who knows? Perhaps destiny has sent this to you to ensure that Arthur lives. Perhaps this will be the exception to the rule. You usually are, after all, Merlin. Study the Sidhe. Know their territory, and keep Arthur away from it. There is no reason to give into despair yet. There is still hope."

Merlin swallowed, took a deep breath, and nodded. "You're right," he said, giving his foster father a small smile. "Thank you, Gaius."

Then he turned away and bounded up the stairs, a book of magical creatures under his arm.

His conversation with the bean nighe came back to him.

"_Would you give your life for him?"_

"_Immediately and without hesitation."_

He had meant those words, every single syllable of them.

Whatever it took, whatever he had to do, he would ensure it.

Arthur was not going to die. Not while Emrys was his protector.

-Merlin-

**(1) I may have stolen this from somewhere else. If I did, all the credit goes to you. =) You know who you are.**

**A/N: Well, what did you think? Was it terrible? Was it amazing? Please let me know, and criticism is welcome! And I know, this was a bit short, but it was kind of an introduction.**

**The **_**bean nighe **_**is a type of banshee and a figure from Scottish mythology. You can find out more about them at en dot wikipedia dot org slash wiki slash Bean_nighe.**

**I also have a question for you guys... Balinor and Merlin are eventually going to go on a journey to save Arthur. I'm considering having Morgana go along. What do people think of that idea? Would it take away too much from the father/son moments? Please let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't remember if I've already said this or not, but this takes places after 2.09 "The Lady of the Lake" but before 2.11 "The Witch's Quickening." It doesn't really matter whether or not it's before or after "Sweet Dreams."**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin and I'm making no profit from this. That goes for this entire story.**

**There. Now I don't have to write it again. ^-^**

**Here's chapter two! Sorry it took so long… I hope you enjoy. =)**

"Rise and shine, sire! There's a whole new day ahead of you!"

Arthur groaned as the sunlight fell onto his face, turning the back of his eyelids red. "Five more minutes," he muttered, rolling over in an attempt to block out the light. There was a moment of silence, and the prince was just rejoicing in being granted his wish, when he was suddenly and violently yanked from his blankets and onto the cold floor.

"_Merlin!_" he roared, rising. The boy was standing over him, holding the blankets, trying with little success to appear innocent. "You idiot!"

"You told me to get you up no matter what it took," Merlin said patiently, almost patronizingly, with a poorly concealed grin. "Remember?"

Arthur did, but he was not going to give Merlin the satisfaction of letting him know that. "Of course not." He grabbed for his blankets, determined to have those extra five minutes, but Merlin deftly sidestepped him, and the still half-asleep prince almost fell on his face.

Merlin made no attempt at hiding his amusement.

"You're going hunting today, remember? The kitchens need restocking."

That woke Arthur up.

"I am?" He felt fully awake now. He'd thought he had more mind-numbingly dull meetings with his father today.

"Yes," said Merlin, smirking at his alertness. He held out the blankets. "I suppose you can sleep for five more minutes, then."

Arthur rolled his eyes and shoved the blankets away. "Very funny, Merlin."

Merlin did indeed seem to find it funny, grinning that ridiculous smile of his as Arthur sat down to eat.

"Do you need anything?" the boy asked.

"Go pack for the trip," Arthur told him. "We won't be coming back until tomorrow."

Merlin nodded and made for the door, then suddenly stopped and said quietly, almost timidly, "Arthur?"

Arthur raised his head, surprised at the sudden change in manner. He covered it with a sigh and roll of his eyes. "What is it, Merlin?"

"Where are we going?"

The question took him aback. "The usual places, I suppose. The forest. That area. Why?"

Merlin shook his head, still seeming very subdued. "It doesn't matter."

And then he was gone, leaving his master shaking his head, wondering what had gotten into the young man.

-Merlin-

"Arthur, why can't we take a break?" Merlin was whining, slumped on his horse. "It's hot, and we've been out here terrorizing innocent animals _all _day."

"Really, _Mer_lin. You're such a girl. It's not that hot." Arthur was sweating profusely underneath his chain mail, actually, but he saw no need to encourage the servant's moaning.

"It _is _hot," said Merlin stubbornly. "And you're sweating too."

So much for that plan.

"Why can't we take a break?"

"We-" Arthur's words caught in his throat as they broke out of the trees and saw a beautiful lake glimmering in front of them.

The prince heard Merlin's breath catch beside him. The idiot was probably daydreaming about the beauty of the scene and the fish swimming in the lake having a nice day.

The lake was really quite breathtaking, and something about it drew Arthur. He was not quite sure what it was- the heat, perhaps, and the cool water the lake was sure to have, or the scenic backdrop, or the mist that hung over it, giving it an ethereal appearance. (1) Whatever it was, Arthur was suddenly possessed by a strong desire to take a swim.

"Alright, Merlin, have it your way," he announced, dismounting. "I can't have you passing out on me, after all. We'll take a break and go for a swim."

"What?" came Merlin's yelp. Arthur turned to the boy, surprised to see the look of horror on his face.

"Isn't that what you wanted?"

"What, I… Arthur, you can't swim there!"

"Why not?" countered the prince waspishly. The desire to swim there was almost overwhelming. He felt stifled by his chain mail and the heat, and knew the cool water would do him good.

"It's… magical. Gaius told me."

"What? Merlin, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not!" cried the boy almost desperately as Arthur peeled his chainmail and shirt from his sticky skin. "Arthur, I'm serious! You could get killed."

Had Arthur not been so focused on swimming in the lake, he might have heeded Merlin's warning. But the desire to get in the water was overpowering, and he could think of little else.

"Arthur, you can't!" Merlin was wailing. At some point, Merlin had dismounted and was now standing beside Arthur, clinging onto his arm in an attempt to make him stay.

Arthur ignored the boy and made for the lake.

"Arthur!" Merlin cried desperately, digging his heels into the ground, trying to prevent Arthur from going into the water. But his skinny frame was no match for Arthur's strength, and he toppled over as Arthur forcefully pulled away and walked into the water.

The last thing he heard before submerging was Merlin screaming, "Arthur, no, don't!"

-Merlin-

"You really are an idiot."

Merlin glared silently at his master, who was gloating on the other side of the campfire.

Secretly, Arthur was rather touched by how distressed the boy had seemed, but Merlin's ego was already big enough. The last thing he needed was for Arthur to puff him up even more. So he settled with teasing him. "Honestly, _Mer_lin, you're such a girl's petticoat sometimes, you know? All upset because I was going to swim in a lake. I am capable of swimming, you know."

Merlin just sighed moodily and poked at the fire with a stick.

Arthur felt a twinge of guilt at seeing Merlin's face. Perhaps he shouldn't be so hard on the boy. After all, peasants could be quite superstitious. But then, how else was he going to learn? "The worst I received from the lake is a headache."

Merlin's head snapped up at that, his gaze meeting Arthur's. "You have a headache?"

Arthur would have rolled his eyes if it had not hurt so much. "Yes, Merlin. I'm not going to die."

Judging from the doleful expression on the boy's face, Merlin thought otherwise.

This time, Arthur decided it was worth the pain to roll his eyes. "Really, Merlin. Your concern is getting a bit ridiculous."

Merlin just frowned and looked back down at the stick in his hands.

Arthur sighed loudly. "Idiot," he muttered. Then, louder, "I'll take first watch. You don't look like you'd do a very good job of it at the moment."

The boy rolled his eyes, but did not protest, merely lying down on his bedroll.

Arthur felt a bit guilty for teasing the boy so much when he was obviously upset, but all he said was, "I'll wake you up in a few hours."

He settled down against a tree to watch. The night air was cool, despite the warm day, and the forest was alive with noise. He could hear crickets chirping, and an owl hooted somewhere in the distance. (2) The prince gave a contented sigh and slid farther down the tree, his eyes slowly starting to slide shut.

He snapped back awake. What was wrong with him? He could keep watch. Huffing, he made to sit up and get in a more uncomfortable position, hoping it would wake him up, but it was just so nice here, and he was so tired, and surely it wouldn't hurt just to rest a few minutes...

His eyes slid shut and he was out.

-Merlin-

"Arthur! Arthur, wake up!"

Someone was shouting his name, telling him to wake up. Who was it? Arthur couldn't tell. He didn't particularly care. It was so pleasant and peaceful, why couldn't they just let him sleep?

"Arthur, you have to wake up!" It was almost a sob.

Maybe he should see what they wanted. They sounded upset. But no, it was so nice here. He was so comfortable. He'd see what it was later. Surely it could wait until later.

He let himself drift away again, far away, where Merlin's desperate cries could no longer reach him.

**(1)** **In the show, the lake is not actually misty, but it is traditionally.**

**(2)** **Do they have crickets and owls in England? No idea. Let's just pretend they do. ;)**

**A/N: Yes, I am aware that that was a rather evil ending.**

**I'm also aware that this chapter could lead to lots of questions. Fear not, they shall be answered next chapter. =)**

**Did you guys like it? Hate it? Did I do Arthur alright? I'm always so nervous about writing him…**

**And fear not! The next chapter shall contain Balinor. =)**


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